Cheating on Stevie
by angelofsmalldeath
Summary: Small one-shots in which Misty listens to other music. Foxxay, pre-relationship.
1. Chapter 1

A soft rustling of chiffon alerted Cordelia to the presence within the greenhouse; a soft smile tugged at her lips as she gently closed the door behind her.

"Hey," she murmured softly into the verdant glow of the room.

Oh, that dazzling grin. Cordelia found it to be completely contagious and she leaned back against the door with a giggle hiding just behind her teeth.

"Hey!" Came the jovial reply. Cordelia willed the inexplicable fluttering in her chest to stop long enough for her to remember what she had gone to the greenhouse to do in the first place. Try though she did, she could not stop the spread of joy across her face, and realizing that she must look like a slobbering fool, she pushed away from the door and dropped her eyes from Misty's.

"So uh, whatcha got goin' on?" She asked playfully, rubbing her hands together and miming rolling up her sleeves.

Ever turning each enchanting fluid movement into a dance, Misty turned a corner in a whirl of flowing skirts and wild hair, casting a breeze of lavender and something distinctly Earthy to the headmistress's nose in her wake.

"Ah, you know," she began, sprinkling a powdered substance into a jar of swamp mud and very green water. "Making mudpies and howlin' at the moon."

Cordelia's trapped giggle at last found a reason to break free and her peculiar eyes met Misty's wink once more. Shifting toward her partner in crime, Cordelia reached for the mixture and raised it to her crinkling nose. "Do you need any help with this _stinky shit_?" She inquired, raising an eyebrow and biting her bottom lip to keep from laughing.

Misty snatched it back a little too greedily and replaced it on the table in a fluttering panic. "No, uh, I've got it," she rambled quickly. "I'm trying not to mix energy in this particular one and I know bein' in a Coven is all about sharin' powers and energy, but you got a lot goin' on right now and your energy is kinda off an-" She stopped herself with a gentle intake of breath and hearing the sound of her own words, she hurriedly replaced her worry with a smile and moved to place her hand over Cordelia's. "But I would adore the company," she added, blushing slightly.

In the companionable silence that followed, Cordelia first noticed the music, and that it wasn't Stevie.

"Mist, what are you listening to?!"

Misty smiled brightly with the hint of embarrassment at getting caught cheating on Stevie. "Florence and the Machine," she replied sheepishly, dropping her gaze to the mixture in the bowl. "She's pretty fantastic. Big Stevie fan." She chanced a glance to Cordelia to gauge her awareness of the artist. "Are you familiar?"

Cordelia nodded slowly, the shy smile returning to her lips. "Yes, actually. That's my record you've got there." She gestured toward the turntable on an adjacent counter.

"Oh, shit, MIss Delia, I'm sorry," Misty stammered, stumbling toward the spinning vinyl. "I found it in the den and Zoe told me-"

Cordelia raced behind her, swiftly laying a firm hand to Misty's forearm. "Hey, Misty, it's okay." Her eyes found the blue of Misty's own and she nodded to reaffirm her words. "Anything in this house is yours to use freely. Especially music." What's mine is yours, she added to herself.

Misty moved away from the table tentatively, unsure of Cordelia's insistence. "Well, thank you, Miss Delia."

"So, why Flo?" Cordelia pried smoothly in an attempt to soothe them to their earlier pace.

"Oh, she's great! She sounds like birds singin' in the night and dew drops on leaves and that crisp feelin' of absolution and bein' so aware of nature that comes after a spring rain and-" She chuckled under her breath. "And she looks like that poster of Stevie I got on my bedroom wall."

"You never cease to amaze me, Misty Day."

Misty shook her head, hiding her blushing grin within the curtain of her hair. "I ain't never been nothin' special, you crazy fool."

Cordelia thumped her palm on the table. "Misty, you're a damn poet! And you see the most intricate beauty in everything. I wish I could see through your eyes."

Misty laughed throatily. "Darlin', you just want to see through any eyes," She mocked, eyes dancing.

"Hey! Low blow! Nothing below the belt!" But shining mismatched eyes gave away her truth.


	2. Chapter 2

"Misty, do you ever listen to anything besides, you know… Stevie?"

Misty whirled around, a bright smile gracing her face. "Well yeah, duh. I mean, I'm not a complete 'tard."

" _Misty_ ," Cordelia warned, face going dark. "You know I will not tolerate that word under this roof."

"Uh, sorry," Misty muttered, skirting her eyes to the floor. She shuffled in silence for a moment.

"Hey, Dee? Um, why's that such a bad word? I mean, 'shit's' pretty much your favorite thing to say and Lord knows I got a mouth to make my Mammaw roll in her grave."

Cordelia snorted incredulously. "Are you kidding me? It's short for 'retard!' Where did you even hear it to say it if you don't know what it means? Who called you a 'tard?"

"Nan? At breakfast?"

"Christ," Cordelia breathed, hanging her head in defeat.

"Well, I didn't know it was a _real_ hurtin' word! I mean, the kids at school always called me that and-"

"And you never realized it was short for retard?"

Misty and Cordelia stared at each other for a moment, waves of realization washing over Misty's face as the touch of a smile spread onto her lips.

"Oh," she whispered with the hint of a giggle.

Cordelia rolled her eyes and turned her attention toward the radio in front of her, gesturing for Misty to do the same.

"Well, what else do you listen to?"

Misty shrugged. "A little bit of everything. Just turn it to 95.7, if you don't mind. It's the classic rock station."

Cordelia nodded and glanced through her lashes at Misty who bopped along gently to the fade out of a Guns n' Roses song. She couldn't help the grin tugging at the corners of her lips as she watched her friend's own beautiful mouth sync silently to the vocals on the radio, her hands weaving into the verdant tendrils of a blooming plant.

Cordelia fell into place beside her, wordlessly reaching to take a leaf from Misty's plant to drop it into her own cramped work station, though the was more than enough room throughout the greenhouse to work and their individual projects did not necessitate the closeness of the two.

She didn't quite recognize the next song to flow through the aging speakers. She'd heard it certainly, but never cared to know anything about it. She raised her eyes to see Misty mouthing those words, too, smirking as she did so.

" _Eminence_ _Front_ is the name of the song," Misty says nonchalantly, seemingly aware of Cordelia's furrowed brow though she hadn't looked away from her work.

"Oh," is all Cordelia says for a moment, then adding, "I've heard it, but I never knew what it was."

Misty raised her eyes then, biting her grinning lip. "When I was a kid, I thought… I thought they were saying, 'livin' in a swamp' instead of 'eminence front'."

Caught off-guard, laughter burst from Cordelia's throat.

"What!" Misty protested, cheeks glowing with her own laughter and just a touch of embarrassment.

Cordelia's eyes shone brightly. "Hey, Mist," she said quietly. "Is this why the other kids called you a… you know?"

Misty rose up in surprised humor and swiped the back of her hand down on Cordelia's shoulder with slight "thwack" noise. "Ya asshole!" she sputtered, the laughter dancing in her eyes.

Cordelia turned to face Misty, biting her lower lip. "Guess what?" Her voice was softer now. "When I was a girl, I thought Stevie was saying, 'just like the one-winged dove.'" An infectious smile split across her face and she stepped impossibly closer to Misty, looping her arms around Misty's waist leaning her forehead against her chest as Misty giggled maniacally.

"You and everybody else, darlin'," Misty laughed as she brushed her hand along the silky length of Cordelia's hair. They held each other for a moment, grinning, the sparkle of Misty's rings illuminated within Cordelia's golden tresses by the last wisps of twilight's sun in the window. A sudden shift in Misty's demeanor sent Cordelia's pitiful eyes searching Misty's face from her spot against Misty's shoulder.

"What is it?"

Misty's eyes softened as they made contact with Cordelia's and she dropped a delicate kiss to the headmistress's head. "I just feel like a real asshole. I didn't know what it meant. I wouldn't never say 'retard' and I-"

Cordelia lay one hushing finger against Misty's lips, acutely admiring the manicure of her nail against Misty's perfect Cupid's Bow. "You're a good soul, Misty Day. A tad bit imperceptive, but good. The Universe knows you meant no harm."

Misty wound tightly around the slight woman wrapped in her embrace and gave her a moment's extra squeeze to convey her gratitude. "You're the best, Miss Delia."

Cordelia smiled shyly with her bottom lip caught in her teeth, hiding her blush in the flowing folds of her friend's dress. She became aware in that moment of what it felt like to be appreciated, and just how badly she needed her own special dose of the swamp witch's ubiquitous love.


End file.
